Unit IV: Career Development
Module 12
Persons and Careers
TEN MYTHS ABOUT CAREER PLANNING BUSTED!
From procrastinating to submitting oneself to inadequate information, Suchitra Surve, Director, Growth Centre identifies the 10 common
myths about choosing a career and tells you why it will affect you in the long run.
Keep in mind that the road to career happiness is usually full of bumps, curves and tangents rather than a straight, direct path from
point A to point B. While peer pressure and post-study placements could be major influences affecting your decision at 16, there are those who
end up regretting their decisions even when they are 30.
So, what are the mistakes young people make while deciding their careers? Where exactly are they going wrong? What can you do
to avoid getting into a situation like that? Read on to dispel some common career myths
Myth 1: Arts/humanities majors usually are unemployable after college
Fact: Skills matter in every stream
Humanities majors usually provide training in basic areas called transferable skills such as interpersonal communication, writing, research, and
critical thinking. Transferable skills indicate those skills that are learned in one area can be readily utilized in a wide range of other areas. These
skills that one learns are sought after by many employers. Arts majors are employed in a wide range of careers. Although humanities graduates
sometimes take more time finding a "niche" in the working world, it's usually because they don't know what they can or want to do or they are
not aware of the options available to them .So, do not assume that a certain stream will open up your opportunities for the future.
Myth 2: Selecting what's 'hot' at the moment is safe
Fact: What's hot today may not necessarily be 10/20 years later
Selecting a major or pursuing a career just because it's hot can be dangerous. There are two things you must understand before opting for this
approach. Firs a choice fails to take into account the interests and abilities of the student, or the kind of environment in which they are most
likely to succeed. But career satisfaction involves far more than simply being able to do a particular job -- it requires interest, commitment and
passion. These are far better indicators for career choice than any fad of the moment. New career fields and jobs emerge every year as a result
of changes in public policy, technology, and economic trends. Therefore, you are on much firmer ground when you select a career goal that
genuinely interests you.
Myth 3: Career assessments / counselors will not be of any use for me
Fact: You must know what your aptitude is before choosing a career
Psychometric Assessments (Aptitude Test) can provide additional information that may be helpful as a part of the career planning process.
Assessments would provide a clear idea as to ones aptitude, strengths and weakness and their mental capabilities, which aids in selecting a
career, but with thorough brainstorming with the career counselor, who can chalk out various career options based on the match between the
student profile and the career. Of course, it’s up to you whether you want to pursue what the counselor advises you to, but do not skip this
step.
Myth 4: If X is happy in a particular field, I will be happy too
Fact: You are not X
Everyone is different and what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another, even if that other person is someone with whom you
have a lot in common. If someone you know has a career that interests you try and get more details about the career in terms of the job
description, the skills required and market demand of the career. Then match the description with your traits and then make a choice. Be
aware that what you like may not necessarily be a good fit for you.
Myth 5: If I wait long enough, luck will eventually bring me to the right career
Fact: Procrastination is no substitute for laziness
It is unlikely that you will just “bump into” the occupation that will perfectly match your skills and interests. The more information you gather
about yourself and the occupations you are considering, the more likely it is you will make a wise career decision. It is true that some things
beyond your control will influence your life, but you must take an active role to determine your own fate. Look around you – those people who
are unhappy in their careers most likely just “fell into” something without careful planning. Do you want the same thing to happen to your
career graph? So think wisely and plan the process.
Myth 6: Making a lot of money will make me happy
Fact: The ingredients of fulfilling career also includes passion and commitment to growth
While salary is important, it isn’t the only factor you should look at when choosing a career. Countless surveys have shown that money doesn’t
necessarily lead to job satisfaction. For many people enjoying what they do at work is much more important.
Myth 7: Once I choose a career I’ll be stuck in it forever
Fact: You are never too old to switch careers
Not true. If you are unsatisfied in your career for any reason, you can always change. Discussing your interests with knowledgeable people who
could guide you towards another career could land you in a satisfying job profile. Remember just being in a job without a lack of interests
would hamper your performance. So it would be better if you make a wise choice later. Many people do change careers several times over the
course of their lifetimes.
Myth 8: If I change careers my skills will be wasted
Fact: Being multi-skilled allows you to learn and adapt accordingly
It is true that certain jobs require some specialized skill set. But note that mostly jobs require a common type of skills which most of the
individuals possess. Your skills are yours to keep. You may not use them in the exactly same way, but they won’t be wasted.
Myth 9: I will decide after the results are out
Fact: Impulsive decisions lack planning and direction
Though one can keep options, but having a sound academic background always proves beneficial while making a career. The two years of
Junior college (class 11 and 12) are vey essential as they form a base for a particular career. One cannot ignore the knowledge gained whilst
studying. Deciding after graduation sometimes leads to impulsive decisions as, the earlier educational qualification may not be applicable to
the area of work that you plan to pursue in later life. Planning in advance prepares you better to deal with the If-and-Or situations better.
Myth 10: I love this hobby, but I don’t think I can make money out of it
Fact: If you love what you do, you will not feel like you are working
An oft repeated line, it explains why part-time hobbies like cooking, photography and design that were once pursued during weekends are now
being pursued as full time careers. And most of these hobby-turned vocations pay really well if pursued professionally. If your hobby becomes
a career, then there’s nothing stopping you from being satisfied in your job and life. So, go ahead and make a wise choice!
CAREER CONCEPTS
A career is defined as the combination and sequence of roles played by a person during the course of a lifetime (Super, 1980). Your career
basically dictates a lot of things in your life – it can determine the kind of lifestyle that you will be leading, the quality of relationships that you
have with people around you like your family and friends, the kind of balance you will be able to keep with your life and your responsibilities.
There are two other concepts that we often associate with the concept of career. One is a job. A job is a position an individual holds doing
specific duties. For example, if you would look closely at the job of a lawyer, you can say that a lawyer’s job is working as an associate in X Law
Firm.
Another term is occupation. An occupation is defined as the similar work for which people have similar responsibilities and for which they
develop a common set of skills and knowledge. For example, people who are in the mental health occupation would include psychologists,
clinical psychologists, counselors, and psychiatrists.
A lot of things can influence one’s career choice. A popular career development model, the Trait and Factor model, believes that skills and
abilities need to fit the demands of a particular career field. This being said, it is then important that you take stock of the skills, knowledge and
abilities that you currently possess and those that you still need to develop as these greatly impacts that kind of career that could be a good
match for you.
Another factor that could influence your success in a particular career field would be your personality and interests. John Holland, a popular
career counselor proposed a theory that strongly believe that certain careers require certain personality traits and must also fit our interests.
Our life roles are yet strong factors that influences our career choices. Your role as a child, a sister, a student, and eventually if you choose it,
that of a parent would have an impact in the decisions that you would have to make as an adult. Donald Super, another career development
theorist believes that since we play an array of roles in our lives, these roles are likely to change over time thus requirements, needs and other
external forces would come into play when we are trying to figure out or maintain a career.
One’s race and ethnicity could also impact our choices. The culture in which we belong to shape our values and expectations. In the
Philippines, our collectivist orientation makes our family a strong influence in our career decisions. More often than not, the choice of course
to take in college, the location of our job, how strong willed we will be in achieving great heights in our career, would most likely be influenced
by our family roles, duties and obligations.
Our social identity, specifically our gender, also possess challenges and opportunities for us when choosing a career. Although nowadays, the
gender divide in terms of careers have slowly narrowed, it is a known fact that men and women experiences career-related stereotypes.
One of the strongest considerations in career decision making has a lot to do with social and economic conditions. Our choice of career is
contingent to our capabilities to sustain the monetary demands of pursuing formal education to train for it. Also, our financial obligations and
roles likewise would determine the kind of occupation we would be pursuing in order to fulfill these duties. Furthermore, certain life events
can also influence our career choices. The unpredictability of these events may cause us to make certain concessions in order to meet the
demands brought about by these changes. Likewise, the volatile economic landscape and how it impacts that supply and demand for people
and jobs may also impact how our careers would progress.
Lastly, we are so familiar with the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. It is highly probable that these childhood fantasies
may have influenced how you view yourself and your career.
WHAT INFLUENCES YOUR CAREER CHOICE?
By Melissa Venable
When we think about career choice, several things immediately come to mind - job description, training and education required, career
outlook, and salary - but there are a number of other factors that may influence your decisions. Let's explore some of these factors as
addressed by multiple career development theories. Theories can help us frame why and how things happen. In this case, career development
theories help us explain why and how we choose to pursue specific career fields.
There are a lot of theories to consider in the relatively new field of career development. As you read through the factors below, you'll see that
many of the related theories address some of the same issues. No one theory explains everything, so it's good to consider these factors from
multiple perspectives.
Influence Factors
- Considering your skills and abilities and how they may fit a particular occupation comes out of one of the earliest career development fields,
Trait-Factor theories, and is still used today. These theories recommend creating occupational profiles for specific jobs as well as identifying
individual differences, matching individuals to occupations based on these differences. You can identify activities you enjoy and those in which
you have a level of competency though a formal assessment.
Interest and Personality Type - Holland's Career Typology is a widely used to connect personality types and career fields. This theory
establishes a classification system that matches personality characteristics and personal preferences to job characteristics. The Holland Codes
are six personality/career types that help describe a wide range of occupations.
Life Roles - Being a worker is just one of your life roles, in addition to others such as, student, parent, and child. Super's Lifespan theory directly
addresses the fact that we each play multiple roles in our lives and that these roles change over the course of our lives. How we think about
ourselves in these roles, their requirements of them, and the external forces that affect them, may influence how we look at careers in general
and how we make choices for ourselves.
Previous Experiences - Krumboltz's Social Learning and Planned
Happenstance theories address factors related to our experiences with others and in previous work situations. Having positive experiences and
role models working in specific careers may influence the set of careers we consider as options for ourselves. One aspect of Social Cognitive
Career Theory addresses the fact that we are likely to consider continuing a particular task if we have had a positive experience doing it. In this
way, we focus on areas in which we have had proven success and achieved positive self-esteem.
Culture- Racial and ethnic background, as well as the culture of an individual's regional area, local community, and extended family, may
impact career decisions. Our culture often shapes our values and expectations as they relate to many parts of our lives, including jobs and
careers. Multicultural career counseling has emerged as a specialized field to take these influences into consideration when counseling clients
and students. We can't attribute the predominant characteristics of a culture to any one of its individuals, but having an awareness of the
values and expectations of our culture may help us understand how we make our career choices.
Gender - Both men and women have experienced career-related stereotypes. Gender is a factor included in multiple career development
theories and approaches including, Social Learning and multicultural career counseling. How we view ourselves as individuals may influence
both the opportunities and barriers we perceive as we make career decisions. Studies of gender and career development are ongoing as roles
of men and women in the workforce, and in higher education, evolve.
Social and Economic Conditions - All of our career choices take place within the context of society and the economy. Several career theories,
such as Social Cognitive Career Theory and Social Learning, address this context in addition to other factors. Events that take place in our lives
may affect the choices available to us and even dictate our choices to a certain degree. Changes in the economy and resulting job market may
also affect how our careers develop.
Childhood Fantasies - What do you want to be when you grow-up? You may remember this question from your childhood, and it may have
helped shape how you thought about careers then, as well as later in life. Career counseling theories are expanding as programs related to
career choice are developed for all ages, including the very young. Ginzberg proposed a theory that describes three life stages related to career
development. The first stage, fantasy, where early ideas about careers are formed, takes place up to age 11.
Work with your career counselor!
It’s important to understand that career choice is not made based on any one factor. Our choices are subject to many influences – individual,
cultural, social, and environmental. The combination and interaction of various influences on your decision-making are unique to you and your
situation. There may also be multiple options, several “good-fits” for you, instead of a single, right choice. Keep in mind that as you change,
learning and experiencing new things, and external factors change, such as the economy, you will continue to revise and fine-tune your career
choices. There is a lot to consider, but you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Work with a career services counselor at your
institution’s career center. These professionals will be able to assist you with assessments and additional resources, and discuss how different
theories may be applied to your career development process.
SUPER’S CAREER DEVELOPMENT THEORY
Donald Super influenced the idea that developing a sense of self and realize that you change over time is important when planning your career.
One of Donald Super's greatest contributions to career development has been his emphasis on the importance of the development of self-
concept. According to Super, self concept changes over time, and develops as a result of experience. As such, career development is lifelong.
Super developed the theories and work of colleague Eli Ginzberg. Ginzberg’s theory enumerated three stages in a person’s career
development: Fantasy (from birth to 11 years old), Tentative (from 11-17 years old), and Realistic (after age 17). Super thought that Ginzberg’s
work had weaknesses, which he wanted to address. Super extended Ginzberg’s life and career development stages from three to five, and
included different sub stages.
Super argues that occupational preferences and competencies, along with an individual’s life situations, all change with time and experience.
Super developed the concept of vocational maturity, which may or may not correspond to chronological age: people cycle through each of
these stages when they go through career transitions.
Super’s five life and career development stages
Stage Age Characteristics
Growth birth-14 Development of self-concept, attitudes, needs and general world of work
Exploration 15-24 "Trying out" through classes, work hobbies. Tentative choice and skill
development
Establishment 25-44 Entry-level skill building and stabilization through work experience
Maintenance 45-64 Continual adjustment process to improve position
Decline 65+ Reduced output, prepare for retirement
